Combined book-support and leaf-turner.



F. G. BAEHR.

COMBINED BooK SUPPORT AND LEAF TURNER.

APPLICATION FlLED JAN. 28' 1914.

UNirED strATEsf PATENT OFFICE.l

' FnEDER-ICK o BAEHR, or NEW BADEN, ILLINoIs.

COMBINED BOOK-SUPPORT AND LEAF-TUBNER.

To aZZ whomt may concem: p

Be it known that I, FREDERIQK'G. BAEHR, citizen of the United States, residmg at New Baden, in the county of Clinton and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Book- Supports and Leaf-Turners, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in leaf turners, and has particular reference to that type of such devices as are designed particularly for use in connection with hymn books and the like.

The principal object of niy invention is the provision of a pol-table device which may be employed not only in mechanically turning the leaves of a book but may be also utilized as a rack for receiving the book and holding it open at the desired place.

A further object is to construct the combined book holder and leaf turner, with such regard to proportion, number and arrangement of parts that it may be cheaply manufactured, will be durable and efiicient inlits operation and may be readily placed on the music shelf of any organ or piano of conventional type.

lA further .object is to provide spring pressed retaining rods, which are of a novel form and are carried by the book holder and are so arranged that they will be en-l gaged with the free edges of the book to hold it in open position against a removable back rest. i V

The above and additional objects are accomplished by such means as are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, described in the following specification and then more particularly pointed out in the claim which is appended hereto and forms a part of this application.

With reference to the drawings, wherein there has been illustrated the preferred embodiment of this invention as it is reduced to practice, and throughout the severalV views of which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts, Figure 1 is a front elevation, showing the various parts of the invention in operative assembled relation;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 ofFig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view"illustrating one of the book holding rods.

Before proceeding with the description of the drawings, it may be well to eXplain th .t while the device ofV this invention has been designed particularly for use in connection specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 31, 1915.

Application filed January 28, 1914. Serial No. 814,958.

with hymn books, has been illustrated and will be hereinafter described in that connection, it may nevertheless be employed with equal efliciency in supporting and providing means for turning the leaves of Sheet music or ordinary library books. p

Upon reference to the drawing and pal'- ticularly to Fig. 1, in which the invention is best illustrated as an entirety, it will be seen that the main 'body portion of the device consists in a substantially rectangular boxlike casing 10. This casing 10 forms, as

stated, the body of the device, being adaptedl to receive the mechanism which operates the leaf turning arm 11 and to form a rack or support for the book or music, as the case may be. This casing 10 may be constructed of mahogany or some similar decorative wood, although in some instances it has been found desirable to construct it of pressed metal. A rubber mat or facing 12 is provided for the bottom of the casing to protect the music ledge or shelf of the piano 01' organ on which the casing is placed, as in Fig. 1. It may be well to explain at this point, that the book holder and leaf turner is often used. as an ordinary reading stand on library tables, it being obvious that it is also desirable in such cases to have a rubber facing for the member 10 so that the table or other article of furniture will be protected against scratching.

Mounted to eXtend transversely on the top of the member 10 adj acent each end thereof, are a pair of tubular members 13 and 14. The members 13 and 14. are preferably constructed of relatively light sheet metal and are each equipped with base plates 15 which are riveted, screwed, or otherwise secured to the casing. These tubes 13 and 14 are adapted to receive the lower arms 16 of the book retaining rods, one of which is illustrated in detail in Fig. 3. It will be seen that each book retaining rod consists in a length of relatively light wire which is first bent into a U-shape, producing the arms 16 and 17, and is then bentto forma Vertical extension 18 projec'ting yfrom the arm 17. As stated,

the arm 16 is mounted for sliding movement through the casing 13, being normally held entirely within the tube by means of a helical spring 19. One terminal of the spring 19 bears against the closure plate 20 of the tube while the other terminal bears against a disk 21 which is mounted on the arm 16 and is held against displacement therefrom by the head 22, similar in formation to an ordinary bolt head. Referring now to Fig. 2, it will be seen that the Vertical arm 18 of each book retaining lrod is normally held against a back rest 23, a ainst which the back of the hymn book is p aced. When the book is mounted on the casing 10, it is preferably supported adj acent its outer edges on the tubular members 13 and 14. The operator, by grasping the bite portions 24'of the book retaining rods, may withdraw the arms 18 from engagement Withv the book rest 23 and then release the rods so that the members 18 will press the opposite sides of the book against the member 23, in the manner shown in Fig. 1.

The back rest, heretofore designated as an entirety by the numeral 23, is, as stated, removably carried by the casing 10 and consists in the preferred embodiment of a pair of Vertical metallic strips 25 and 26, which are connected by a number of transverse strips or bars 27. The lower terminals of the members 25 and 26 are insertable in vertically extending slots formed in the rear wall 28 of the casing 10, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2. It has been found desirable in practice to removably mount the back rest 23 so that the device may be packed in a Vrelatively small space when it is desired to either store or ship it.

The leaf turning arm 11 is formed from a single length of relatively light Wire, which is bent into a substantially L-shape. T he vertically extending arm of the L, indicated at 29, is longitudinally bifurcated as at 30, so that a leaf of the book may be inserted in the holder, as Will be obvious upon reference to the drawings. The horizontal arm 31 of themember 11 is bent adjacent its terminal to extend downwardly at right angles, as indicated at 32. The downwardly extending portion 32 is rotatable in the top wall of the casing 10, being journaled at its extreme lower terminal in a bearing 33. The bearing 33 is formed on a V-shaped frame, indicated at 34 in Fig. 1, which is riveted 01' otherwise secured, as at 35 to the bottom wall of the casing, being housed therein. Between the bearing 33 and the top wall of the casing 10 there is keyed on the member 32 a gear wheel 36 adapted to mesh with a sector gear 37. The Sector gear 37 is arranged for oscillatory movement in the casing 10, being keyed on the squared terminal of a crank 38 which is journaled in a tubular bearing 39 formed integrally with the bearing frame 34. The handle portion 40 of the crank is exteriorly arranged with respect to the casing 10 so that the person who is playing the piano or organ may readily manipulate the leaf turning arm 11. Upon reference to Fig. 1, it Will be seen that by swinging the handle 40 u wardly, the sector gear 37 will be moved rom right to left, and that as a result the arm 29 will be swung from the left side of the book to the right side thereof, carrying With it the leaf which has previously been engaged in the bifurcation 30.

Before concluding the description of the device, it is desirable to direct attention to thel fact that the present invention provides not only a portable book holder but also a leaf turner, the entire structure being of compact nature so that it can be stored in a relatively small space when not in use.

In reduction to practice, it has been found that the form of this invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings and referred to in the above description, as the preferred embodiment, is the most efficient and practical; yet realizing that the conditions concurrent with the adoption of this device will necessarily vary, it is desirable to emphasize the fact that various minor changes in detail of construction, proportion and arrangement of parts may be resorted to when required Without sacrificing any of the advantages of this device as defined in the appended claim.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed'as new is:

A device of the Character described including a. casing adapted to support a book, a back rest, a substantially V-shaped bearing frame arranged in the casing, a Vertically disposed bearing, a horizontally disposed bearing formed integrally with the bearing frame, a substantially L-shaped leaf turning arm, the horizontal portion of Said arm being provided with a downwardly directed extension, said extension being 1011rnaled in the said Vertical bearing, a pinion keyed on said extension, an Operating handle journaled in the said horizontal bearing, and a sector gear keyed on the handle and meshing With the pinion.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FREDERICK G. BAEHR. [1.. 8.]

Witnesses:

EMIL J. GRIESBAUM, B. H. HERTENSTEIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner o! Patents,

v Washington1 I). 0. 

